A programmable and portable NMES device for drop foot correction and blood flow assist applications

Med Eng Phys. 2009 Apr;31(3):400-8. doi: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2008.05.003. Epub 2008 Jul 30.

Abstract

The Duo-STIM, a new, programmable and portable neuromuscular stimulation system for drop foot correction and blood flow assist applications is presented. The system consists of a programmer unit and a portable, programmable stimulator unit. The portable stimulator features fully programmable, sensor-controlled, constant-voltage, dual-channel stimulation and accommodates a range of customized stimulation profiles. Trapezoidal and free-form adaptive stimulation intensity envelope algorithms are provided for drop foot correction applications, while time dependent and activity dependent algorithms are provided for blood flow assist applications. A variety of sensor types can be used with the portable unit, including force sensitive resistor-based foot switches and MEMS-based accelerometer and gyroscope devices. The paper provides a detailed description of the hardware and block-level system design for both units. The programming and operating procedures for the system are also presented. Finally, functional bench test results for the system are presented.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Computer Graphics
  • Computers, Handheld
  • Electric Stimulation Therapy / instrumentation*
  • Electric Stimulation Therapy / methods
  • Electrodes
  • Equipment Design
  • Foot / pathology*
  • Gait Disorders, Neurologic / rehabilitation*
  • Humans
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / instrumentation*
  • Software
  • Therapy, Computer-Assisted / instrumentation*
  • Therapy, Computer-Assisted / methods
  • User-Computer Interface